float 1 of 2

verb

Definition of floatnext
1
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a canoe floating down the river particles of dust floating in the air

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to wander
to move about from place to place aimlessly lost touch with a childhood friend who spent much of his adult life floating from place to place

Synonyms & Similar Words

float

2 of 2

noun

ˈflōt How to pronounce float (audio)
as in dock
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers the crew put the cargo on the float before heading back down the river

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of float
Verb
Batavia says the gate is causing more traffic on its nearby streets, and has floated the possibility of closing Wagner at the city boundary to force Aurora’s hand. — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026 Gotham has similarly managed to float to the top of the table, with a league-leading 55 points. — Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
Let the national flag float over every schoolhouse in the country and the exercises be such as shall impress upon our youth the patriotic duties of American citizenship. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026 The Rootbeer Stand 10 minutes from the park in teeny Oglesby, this old-fashioned drive-in has served post-hike faves like burgers, fries, and ice cream floats since 1955. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for float
Recent Examples of Synonyms for float
  1. hover
  2. wander
  3. dock
  4. sail
  5. roam
  6. wharf
  7. swim
  8. drift
Verb
  • In fact, total non-pensioner benefits have hovered between 4% and 5% for more than 40 years.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 4 Oct. 2026
  • America's confidence in the media is hovering at an all-time low.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of hover
Verb
  • The newfangled internet granted children almost unbridled freedom — and the ability to wander far afield, digitally at least, of where their parents could protect them from harm.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Lodgings are spread out between double-sized bunk beds and a pull-out sofa, but don’t let your mind wander to sleepaway camp territory.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of wander
Noun
  • In many cases, high-value interventions are surprisingly straightforward, such as resequencing dock staging, clearing high-traffic sightlines or adjusting conveyor heights.
    — Allan Malcolm, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Out back, there’s a pool house and a sauna, a gym, a saltwater pool, and 234 feet of waterfront with docks, a beach, and a boathouse.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of dock
Verb
  • The ship’s April transatlantic cruise starts in Port Canaveral before sailing to Bermuda, the Azores, Portugal, and England.
    — Megan duBois, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Early in the match tiebreaker, De Minaur leaped for a volley and ended up sprawled on the black court inside the O2 Arena before popping back up as Zverev's reply sailed out.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of sail
Verb
  • Aerial footage on Sunday showed a bomb disposal robot roaming between the vans in woods near the base.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The agency would also create standards covering sandbox testing environments; air gaps, or isolating testing environments from the internet; kill switches; and controls that prevent models from escaping lab settings and roaming on the Internet.
    — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of roam
Noun
  • Their transatlantic journey is slated to begin in Portsmouth, but once there Håkan loses sight of his brother in the crowds along the wharf.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • But in 1820, Shippingport had about 600 residents, three wharves for steamboats, taverns and a flour mill.
    — Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of wharf
Verb
  • Chinook salmon swim upstream first in the fall, and coho salmon usually start appearing in the Scott River to spawn in November.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • While most long-bodied marine creatures swim like eels by flexing their whole bodies, the oarfish remains almost perfectly still.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of swim
Verb
  • Adults, Yoshida says, drift away from a child’s heart as their perspective rises, and end up depicting their idea of what a child should be.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In my experience, many corporate teams drift between sympathetic over-activation (burnout) and dorsal shutdown (disengagement).
    — Roy Ward, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of drift

Browse Nearby Words

flivvers
float
floated
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Cite this Entry

“Float.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/float. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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